The girls : Amber
by GalliaDavia
Summary: Barney s turn ! Some one-shots planned, no big plot so far, just curious where it s going...Just have fun and let me know what you think!
1. Chapter 1

_Thanks to Kathie2808 for the fastest support service around! _

_I don´t own any of the Expendables characters, Amber and Letty only._

* * *

Amber reached drowsily for her cell phone, trying to read the name it showed on the display.

She hurried to accept the call the moment she finally managed to do so.

* * *

„It´s me, Barney!"

Barney´s voice sounded tense.

„What´s wrong? " she asked.

Barney was not the guy to call in the middle of the night. Actually, he wasn't the guy to call at all.

„Sorry to wake you, but we´ve got a situation here", he said. „I need you to take care of a friend."

Amber sat up, groaning slightly.

„Where are you? You know it will take me about an hour to get over to your place. And what´s that damn noise ?"

Barney flipped some switches and kept an eye on the displays in front of him, preparing for the landing.

„We´ll come to you", he answered lightly. „Could you come out to the eastern fields and bring your medical bag ?"

„To the..."

She interrupted herself, hurrying out of her bed and over to the window. The noise to be heard out there sounded suspiciously similar to the one coming to her over the phone.

The darkly painted plane was barely visible against the lead-gray sky. If it hadn´t been for the regularly blinking navigation lights, she wouldn´t have discovered it at all.

„I´m on my way", she said, hanging up.

* * *

When she arrived at the outer fields of the ranch, Barney was already waiting for her, flanked by two other men, all of them wearing black battle outfits. She hurried out of the car, grabbing her bag.

A large dog jumped down from the truck bed, barking aggressively at the strangers on his ground.

„Baxter, here!" she called, but the dog had already reached the arrivals.

„Hey, Baxter, sh!"

Barney padded the dog´s side for a moment. The aggressive barking changed into a friendlier one.

Ceasar and Christmas left and right to Barney exchanged an irritated look.

Barney looked up and right at Amber who had finally reached them as well by now.

She eyed him up for a second and relaxed a little, having herself assured that he was still in one piece.

„Where´s that friend of yours ?" she asked, nodding briefly to the other two men.

„Inside", he said. „Come on, I´ll help you in."

* * *

Amber climbed to the plane and looked around.

„Over here", an Asian guy said helpfully, gesturing to the man down at a cot.

„So what can I do?" she asked.

Barney went past her and uncovered the man´s leg, causing him to groan. Someone had already cut open what was left of the black military trousers. A long gash lead from his knee up to his groin.

„I need some light", she said, half turning to Barney. Someone handed them a flashlight.

„Shit!" she said, throwing Barney a dark look.

Amber returned her look to the man in front of her and eyed it up again, then got up.

„Could I talk to you for a second ?"

Barney nodded to the rest of his men.

„Give us a second", he said and they left.

* * *

„I need you to patch him up."

„You know that this is not exactly my expertise !" she told him in a hushed voice.

„You can do it, can´t you?"

„There might be damage to the vasculature."

„Come on. It´s not deep, but this needs to be done now. You did a good job on me back then and he´s a no friend of hospitals."

She stared for a moment at him, then shook her head and sighed.

„He might prefer a medic doing this !" she argued.

Her patient moved right next to them.

„Do it, lady!" he demanded lowly, gritting his teeth for a second. „Doesn´t need to be pretty! Just get it done."

She looked down at him and back to Barney.

„Please", the man said.

„Alright", she said after a moment, turning back to the injured. „We need to take you over to the house."

„I thought you...", Barney started, but she interrupted him with a short gesture.

„Forget about it! If I am going to do this, then somewhere clean and with proper light, not on a filthy plane! Get some of your friends. I brought the big car."

Barney raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, then turned, calling out for two of his men.

„Good", Amber said. „What about him ?"

She pointed at the young man on the cot at the opposite side. „Is he just asleep or ... ?"

„Asleep", Barney assured here. „Fever is high. Some kind of infection. He´s just exhausted."

„Alright."

With Gunnar and Christmas hurrying in again to help, Barney looked at the woman in front of him for a moment. She looked a little tired and her brown, slightly curled hair was a mess, but he could tell that she was not very upset.

A small grin found the way on his face.

Well, he hadn´t expected her to be so anyway.

At least not as upset as anybody else would most likely have been after a bunch of mercenaries had just landed their plane in the middle of their potato field in the dead of night.

* * *

„Will be a bit cramped", Amber mused, watching the men climbing onto the truck bed, putting Toll Road down there slowly while one of them was busy holding young Billy upright in his spot.

„Will do for ten minutes", Barney replied.

„Alright, then let´s drive."

„Get in there", Barney said, gesturing towards the passenger side. „I´ll drive."

Amber didn´t argue and got into the car, followed by Christmas.

* * *

„I hope you don´t have Bobby sleeping over", Barney said on the short drive over to the old ranch house.

Amber shook her head.

„No, not in the middle of the week. And you don´t think Baxter would have come with me with the boy around!"

„Good", Barney commented quietly.

„Though he´s gonna regret that I took him home yesterday evening. Sparks gave birth to her foal around two this morning."

Christmas, in the seat right next to her, listened silently to their casual conversation, flabbergasted. He wondered if this woman would turn out to be equally phlegmatic as his teammate.

„So I didn´t wake you?" Barney asked.

„You _did_ wake me", she stated with a small smile.

* * *

Amber opened the door and put the lights on.

„Well, get in!" she said, stepping to the side. „Take him over there."

She gestured to the kitchen.

„The kitchen?" Barney argued promptly.

„I need proper light and a large table - what else do you suggest ?"

Barney shrugged while they followed the men supporting their injured teammate.

„Has anyone of you a first aid training?" she asked, only to earn a round of staggered and indignant looks.

„I do", one of them said.

„Great. I need you to assist me. You can wash your hands over there. Stand back, gentlemen."

Amber hurried from shelf to cupboard to gather everything she would need. Then she turned, looking at the group of men filling her kitchen.

„Why don´t you take the rest of your friends over to the living room", she told Barney who understood the polite version of ´Get this bunch of ugly brutes out of my way` as clearly as everybody else around.

„Come on, we got to get you out of these clothes", she told her patient.

„Gonna need another one to help?" Barney asked.

„Don´t think so", Amber said, already concentrating of the task at hand.

„Alright."

Barney turned.

„Hey, Barn´", she called, her eyes still on the injured man´s wound.

„What?"

„Don´t you forget to offer them a drink", she told him drily.

* * *

Amber threw her assistant a short look and handed him a pair of latex gloves.

You´re Lee, I take it?"

Lee nodded to the slender woman at the opposite side of the table. The messy brown hair framed an equally slender face with finely chiseled features, high cheekbones and light brown eyes. She looked a little tense by now, but regarding the fact that they had just invaded her place in the middle of the night and that she was about to stitch up a blood soaked stranger on her kitchen table, still more relaxed than he would have expected her to do. Having witnessed her and Barney´s conversation at the car before, he felt more than puzzled.

„How comes that you know my name but I don´t know yours", he asked back with a half grin.

„Barney told me that you´re from Britain. So that was easy. And it´s Amberly."

„Wish I could say the same about you", Christmas answered sardonically.

Amber ignored his comment and addressed her patient.

„What´s your name ?"

„Toll Road", he answered.

„You didn't recognize him by the ear ?" Christmas asked. „Woud have bet Barney had told you about that as well."

Amber smiled.

„The wrestler, right? How´s the pain?"

„Better", Toll Road answered. „Spot´s numb", he answered.

She nodded contentedly. The painkillers working was a good thing to start with.

„So, Toll Road, tell me something about you", she suggested, carefully cleaning the wound.

„You know, you don´t need to try and distract me", he answered, sounding strained.

Amber bit her lower lip while carefully cleaning the wound.

„Do me the favour", she said, adding ´Cause _I_ could do with some distraction!` mentally. „What happened to your ear ?"

Christmas groaned.

„Bad choice", he told her with a grin.

* * *

After taking care of Toll Road´s injuries, Amber watched Gunnar and Hale Ceasar help him over to the guestroom down the hall.

„Good job", Barney told her.

„Thanks", she said. „Same goes for you", she nodded to Christmas.

„So, you got anyone else you want me to have a look at - besides yourself ?"

„I´m fine", he mumbled. „We´ve already taken care of the rest, I guess."

„Well, no one´s taken care of me so far", Christmas complained, contented to see Barney´s expression darken.

Amber took her gloves off, eyeing both men up and perking a brow. Christmas found that her features were a little bit too distinct to be called exactly pretty, but had to admit that it didn´t lessen her attractiveness.

„You know, you guys could really do with a shower", she said. „All of you."

She smiled at Christmas.

„Afterwards, I´ll have a look at anything you want me to look at", she offered.

„Sissy!" Barney said.

„You can go first, of course", Christmas retorted. „Age before beauty."

Amber listened to them for a moment, then shrugged.

„I´m gonna get you some towels", she suggested.

„Thank you", Barney said. „Why don´t_ you _take the pick up outside and get us some spare clothes from the plane ?" he asked Christmas.

„_Me ?_ Why me again ?"

Amber left them to their quarreling, softly shaking her head.

* * *

The moment she had disappeared around the corner, Christmas became serious.

„Alright, spill it - who the hell is she ?"

Barney leant back against the counter behind him, rolling his shoulders to get some of the tension out of his muscles.

„She´s a friend."

„A friend", Christmas repeated, obviously not believing him. „Are you kidding ?"

„It´s like I said."

„Damn, are you laying her ?" Christmas inquired. „And if you do, what I strongly suspect, for how long has this been going on ?!"

„She´s a friend."

„Yeah, keep telling me that, you traitor! You know the woman, you even know the name of that stupid dog!"

„So ?"

„When you asked her where to take Billy to get some sleep, she said, and allow me to quote ´Take him to the guestroom right next to the bedroom.`- and you didn´t ask for directions!"

Barney grinned tiredly.

„It´s better if we postpone our official return to town a little bit anyway. The place is perfect."

„You don´t say!" Christmas retorted, sounding seriously resentful by now. „And you knew it all accidentally _that_ good that you landed here in the middle of the night!"

Now Barney chuckled.

„Tell me, my friend, why the hell should I tell you anything, huh ?" he said, putting a heavy hand down to Christmas´ shoulder. „If it´s so much more entertaining to watch you pouting!"

* * *

„Amber ?"

Upstairs, Barney knocked one knuckle softly against the half open bedroom door.

„Come in", she answered lowly, trying to avoid waking the exhausted young man sleeping at the other side of the wall.

He entered the room where she had just set a pile of towels down to the bed.

„I´m really sorry for..."

She interrupted him by stepping in on him to kiss him, giving the door a good shove to hide them from anyone´s looks.

„You know, you should really let me have this shower first", he said.

„Oh I don´t care!" she said. „You got to be a crazy bastard to land out there in the darkness! Die somewhere else if you have to!"

He could tell that she wasn´t really angry. Simply a little worried. It made him sardonically wonder if there was anything he could do that would upset her.

„So that´s the gang down there", she said.

He nodded.

She reached out and tugged at his shirt.

„You´re really alright under that stuff ?"

He nodded while she shook her head again.

„What did you tell them about me ?"

Barney hesitated. It caused Amber to smile brightly.

„Let me guess - zip."

He watched her, unsure what to say.

„Is it a problem ?" he asked.

„No", she said. „I was just surprised how surprised they were."

So he had kept it kind of a secret.

„See, I just didn´t..."

„Hey!" she interrupted him. „I don´t blame you."

There was a pause while he simply stood, looking at her. He brought one hand up to her cheek, then bent his head a little to let his forehead rest against hers for a moment. After a moment, she moved a little, just enough to kiss him again.

It had been three years since she they had met for the first time. Two since they had started seeing each other from time to time. One since they had started to see each other regularly and had stopped pretending that they kept running into each other accidentally again and again.

She had no doubt that if he had chosen to keep it from his friends, he had had his reasons.

He felt that there was probably no way to explain to her why he hadn´t told anyone, not even Christmas, about her. There had been times when he had thought about it. But for some reason he couldn´t name, it had felt better to keep this to his own. Maybe he had only feared that one of his friends would tell him something about her he wouldn´t like to hear. Maybe he had feared that it would have broken the spell if he did.

* * *

At dawn, with Amber just back from the stables where she had checked on mare Sparks and her filly, she found herself provided with a cup of coffee by Christmas. She followed him over to the living room, but stopped in the doorframe.

There they were, gathered in the old fashioned living room. The tall blond guy from Sweden. The heavily muscled dark skinned guy. The slender Asian. She had heard about every single one of them. With all of them having had a shower by now and after changing into spare clothes Lee had picked up at the plane, they looked a little less intimidating. Still, the pile of black battle outfits at the hall, right next to the crate containing the small arms, knives and other weaponry they had been carrying with them, left her with mixed feelings.

Barney joined her silently, his hair still damp from showering. He forced her softly to take a step back to the hall and out of the other´s sight.

„I swear I´ll make this up to you", he told her quietly.

„You just managed to ruin half my crop, turned my kitchen into a field hospital and my living room into a locker room", she summed up in the same quiet tone. „You will! And now tell me - have you any rules of conduct you´d want me to follow?"

Before Barney could answer, the old heavy entrance door was shoved open. A young woman slipped in, obviously of Hispanic origin by her looks.

„Damn, what´s so important that you wake me in the middle of the night!" she complained along the hall, nodding briefly to Barney.

„Come on! Getting up early once in your life won´t kill you", Amber answered.

„You called Letty?" Barney asked her, watching Letty kicking her boots from her feet and getting out of her jacket right next to the door.

„How am I supposed to handle all this alone?" Amber asked.

„Look who it is", Letty said, grinning at Barney while drawing closer. „The old man."

„Look who it is", Barney answered casually. „The stray."

The new voice chiming in had the men in the living room interrupt their conversation.

Letty had crossed the hall by now and snatched the coffee mug out of Amber´s hand.

„Say, have I been hallucinating on my way over here or did some lunatic crash-land an overlarge tin can in your potato field ?" she asked before taking a sip.

„Don´t worry", Amber answered lightly. „It´s Barney´s tin can."

They both watched the younger woman choke on her first sip of coffee. Amber took the mug out of her hand again.

„And when you´re done choking, say hello to the rest", Amber suggested.


	2. Chapter 2

_So there we go, this is a kind of a flashback, taking place right after Barney´s last job for Church..._

_Thanks to my Beta who´s working with all kinds of sophisticated technology to help ;-)_

* * *

**- flashback - **

Amber had just settled down comfortably in her favorite chair, a good book right at hand, when her cell phone rang.

„Damnit", she mumbled, shoving the blanket back to get up again.

A short look at the display made her perk her eyebrows in surprise.

„Hey", she said, accepting the call.

„Hey."

„You´re already back ?"

He had told her that he would probably be away for about two more weeks at least when they had last met.

There was a pause. Amber had just started to wonder if maybe the connection was bad.

„Could we meet tonight ?" he finally asked.

Amber had grown used to his straightforward way up to a certain degree, but this felt a little bit odd. It was about nine in the evening, a dark, cold and windy night, and there was no electricity available where they usually met. Even to get out there to the lodge in the darkness would be an adventure of its own, not to mention that it would take him about an hour and a half to get there.

„I know this is rather short notice..."

„Are you okay ?" she asked, following a gut feeling.

There was another pause.

Talk to me, Barney Ross, is that a yes or a no ?

„You know", she said then, making a decision. „Why don´t you come over here ? It´s pitch-black out there. Not a good idea to try and get over to the lodge even from here."

She had expected him to object, but he didn´t. He had probably been thinking the same.

„I could also pick you up at your place and we get back over here..."

„And drive an hour to get here and one back again ?" she asked, startled. „If you´d like me to stop by..."

„I´m on my way then", he only said.

She had barely managed to agree before the connection broke and she was left stunned, standing in the middle of her kitchen, staring in surprise at the cell phone in her hand.

* * *

About fourty five minutes later, Baxter jumped up from his place right next to her armchair to shoot towards the door, barking.

She mused that Barney had driven a lot faster than allowed to make it over to her place that quickly and she hurried to let him in.

Amber gave a small sound of surprise the moment he stepped into the rather poorly enlightened hall. His face looked battered and bruised and the whole man dead tired.

„Are you alright ?" she repeated the question, watching him taking off the dark leather jacket slowly as if he tried to avoid a painful move.

„Yeah", he only said, somewhat belatedly.

„Oh Barney", she said, looking him over.

It had been about twenty hours ago that they had finally returned from that unfortunate job in Bulgaria. From the most chaotic job they had done in the last few years. Church´s people had travelled faster. When he and the rest of the team had arrived, Billy had already been taken care of.

Church hadn´t made empty promises. The private clinic the boy had been taken to seemed to be the best one could get for money. Still, Barney would have preferred to know the boy somewhere where he knew the doctors and the place. But he had had to admit that it would take more than some simple patching to get him through.

Barney had reached a point where the fatigue had changed into some kind of numbness. It made him feel insensitive for any every day life issues and made simple things like enduring the stop and go traffic during rush hour a nightmare. Unfortunately, it was a only a numbness of the mind - it didn´t dull the aching of his whole body.

He looked her over as well, but for different reasons.

There she was. Unagitated despite the fact that he had intruded her home rather late in the evening. Worried, but not panicking. Curious, but not assailing him with questions.

Amber stood still, radiating exactly the kind of quiet serenity he remembered. The wind was howling outside, mixing with the sounds of the heavily downpouring rain. At the dimly lit hall, there was only the sound of an old hall clock ticking. Baxter had sat down right next to Amber, looking at the both of them expectantly.

The moment Barney decided to move, he found that she had already decided to do so first. They met for a kiss, then another one, with Amber having a hard time not to touch his bruised face. When they were done, she tried a careful embrace.

She was still here. She was whole, unscathed and safe. Clean, warm and real.

Barney closed his eyes.

He granted her only a short look at him when she moved out of his embrace. They kissed again. The tension filling his whole body forced her to take a step backwards, then another one, until she was with her back against the wall.

There was something in his eyes that she hadn´t seen there before. And something about the way he touched her that didn´t feel like it had felt before.

Some kind of urgency.

For a moment, Amber had no idea what to do or how to react. She had wanted to ask the usual questions in such a situation. If he wanted a drink, or maybe something to eat. To sit down ? To talk ? It would have been what she would have expected after they hadn´t seen each other for a while. Or at least, it would have been what the social convention would have demanded.

Instead, she reacted to the feeling of need and want coming from him. Her body was obviously faster with decisions than her mind. One of his hands had found the way under the hem of her shirt. The other one rested softly on her cheek.

She bit her lip for a second.

Until now, he hadn´t been the guy to start loosing his clothes the moment the door had closed behind them. She couldn´t put a finger on it, but it was not only his behavior that made things feel different that night. It were not only the bruises either.

And it was obvious that he had no idea what to say.

Amber realized that he didn´t know the place. He had been here only once, long ago, to wait for a friend to pick him up, and they had spent the whole afternoon at the veranda back then.

She decided to take a chance.

„To bed ?" she asked quietly.

The question made him meet her eyes again.

It caused him to chuckle drily after a second, like a man caught red-handed. But it sounded very tired as well.

Damn, so much about manners.

She held his gaze, waiting for him to answer.

„I wouldn´t have asked if it were not an option", she told him eventually.

She smiled and when he didn´t answer, she turned and reached out for his hand, pulling him with him.

* * *

To Amber, the night felt different.

It had felt different the moment he had arrived at her place.

Maybe it had already felt different when he had called her on short notice to see her.

Making love had felt different.

It had felt good before, no doubt. But there had been a certain determination in addition to the urge tonight, some kind of thoroughness. As if he had to make up for something. As if he hadn´t paid proper attention to her before.

She listened to his heartbeat, which had slowed down again by now. He was awake, she could tell, with one hand resting warm on her back and the other one entangled in her hair.

She closed her eyes in the darkness.

It had been a while since somebody had sent her over the edge in such a way.

Barney in return listened to Amber´s breathing.

He had already been thinking about calling her when his thoughts should have been on the landing they had been up to.

He had still been thinking about calling her when he had finally managed to get out under the hot water again. This time, not even the prolongued hot shower had made things look at least a little bit less fucked up.

At the moment he had left the hospital, he had finally done it.

It had not been very gentlemanlike to come to her place and savage her. It had probably been unfair to come here and burden her with his inner turmoil. Still...

She moved slightly in his arms to find a more comfortable position. He loosened his embrace to let her do so. His palm brushed across her cheek in the process, then he tensed suddenly.

Tears. Damnit.

She had felt all warm and relaxed in his arms, but there were tears indeed.

„Did I hurt you ?"

„I´m fine", she whispered, covering his hand with hers. Her fingertips brushed over his bruised and busted knuckles. „Did I ?"

Barney made only a dark throaty sound that It wasn´t even a real chuckle.

„You know, I´d believe you a lot, but don´t tell me that you don´t hurt", she mumbled in the darkness.

Underneath his clothes, the whole man was one big bruise.

„Believe me, I do", he answered wearily.

But surely not from what _she_ had just done to him.

They had barely spoken a word since she had led him up the stairs and down the hall to her bedroom. There had been no use for any words. And no need.

It was part of what had made him allow himself to get into this in the first place. It was not that she didn´t care about what may have happened. It was the fact that she had the patience to let him decide to tell her about things when he wanted to. Or not at all if he decided that he didn´t want to talk about it at all. She wouldn´t press the matter.

Barney knew that he had become wayward over the years. Well, part of living alone was to enjoy one´s own freedom, almost defiantly at times. But the result was that it had become difficult over the years to grant someone access to his life without immediately feeling cornered. He mused that if he had ended up with a woman like Lee´s nosy girl, he would most likely have put a bullet through her head within the first week.

Barney´s thoughts wandered for a moment back to the miserable last mission. To that woman Church had sent with them to retrieve that piece of technology. She had been right in the end, had proven that she was battle proficient. Good with words, too. Brave, granted. A little sick regarding her interrogation methods. Alright, that alone wouldn´t have been a reason to reject her as a teammate.

The mocking of the guys about Maggie hitting on him had been endless.

Still, the last damn thing Barney needed was a woman who had seen what he had seen or who would possibly castrate him in his sleep if she ever came to believe that he might have cheated on her or something. The last thing he needed after a fucked up job was a woman who returned with him in the same fucked up way.

Maggie´s numerous unexpected talents aside, for him, women didn´t belong into that kind of business. And women already into that kind of business didn´t belong into his bed. End of story.

Amber had fought her own battles, metaphorically speaking. He mused that, in the end, it didn´t matter if one had really been to war. It was probably the wrong way to think about it, but life had all the things that made a good war anyway, like pain, blood, death and despair - only in smaller doses and spread over a longer period of time. She had been caught in her own personal hell more than once before as well. It was probably also part of why they got that good along.

Still, Barney didn´t miss the irony in that. Regarding what they both did for a living, Maggie would probably have been a much more reasonable choice. Still there was no way that he would ever have preferred her to the woman in his arm. Amber was vulnerable enough to make his ego believe that she needed his protection. But she was also strong enough

to assure the realist in him that there was no reason to worry about her when he was not around.

True, she was part of that every day world that had just felt that indifferent and phoney ever since they had returned. But she was probably the only part left of it that he still cared about on days like this these. Some kind of life line connecting him to it instead of making him run from it like Booker.

* * *

The sound of a cell phone ringing made Barney wake with a start. Amberly moved slowly right next to him.

„That´s yours", she mumbled.

She rummaged through the clothes in front of the bed, following the sound and vibration, then handed him the cell.

„Yeah", he said, answering the call. There was no need for pleasantries talking to Christmas.

„Did I wake you ?" the Brit asked. „Or is it just old age that makes you take so long to pick up the damn phone ?"

Barney run a hand through his hair and groaned. The simple movement alone had triggered about a dozen bruised or otherwise hurting parts of his body to make him remember them again. At the same time, he knew that Christmas was most likely only as crabby because he was experiencing the same thing. A look at the clock on her nightstand told him that it was about five in the morning.

„Miserable bastard", he answered.

„Yeah, I love you too", Christmas answered. „Now listen. I just wanted you to know that the Kid woke up about an hour ago."

Barney straigthened up.

„So ?"

„Well, he´s still in kind of a tizzy. A bit confused. Doesn´t remember much so far. I don´t know what they´ve been giving him, but the boy´s on the trip of his life. Gunnar would be damn green-eyed."

„What did the white coats say ?"

„Oh, the usual. They can´t guarantee for nothing, we´ll have to wait, bla bla. But if you ask me, he´ll be back on track. I already talked to that mutual friend of ours. He will look him over in the morning."

„Alright. You´re leaving the place now ?"

Christmas sniffed.

„Have you had a look at the clock ? Toll Road´s coming along in about two hours to take over here."

Barney nodded thoughtfully.

„Alright, I´m gonna send him a message. I´ll take his turn. Have to do this myself."

It was the least he could do for the boy.

„You know, you may as well sleep late. Maggie called a while ago, said she couldn´t get through to you. She´ll be around in the morning as well."

„Whatever. I´ll be there", Barney mumbled.

„Come on!" Christmas yawned on the other end of the line. „You´re just jealous that no one would come to visit you if you had managed to get yourself fucked up that way."

„Yeah, thanks for the flowers. Remind me to forget about the painkillers when I have to drag you home half dead next time. And stop seducing the nurses, it´s not what you´re there for, alright ?"

„Whatever. See ya in the morning. Over and out."

Christmas hung up.

Barney snapped the cell shut.

He laid back and she drew carefully closer again.

„Some freak almost killed one of the guys", he said after a moment.

„Which one ?"

„Billy."

„The boy ?"

Barney wondered how the hell she was able to distinguish between men she had never met and only heard of rarely. He was not even able to distinguish between her two former husbands.

„Yeah. He woke up an hour ago. He´s been unconscious when we left the place."

„He´ll be alright ?"

„Don´t know", he answered gloomily.

He closed his eyes. All that shit should never have happened. It was rather a miracle alone that the boy had still been alive when they had been through with this gang of lunatics. If Barney was honest with himself, he hadn´t believed that to happen.

„I told Lee that I´ll be there around seven. I need to see him myself."

„Have a shower then", she suggested. „I´ll make you some coffee."

„Just stay in bed, alright ? I´ll manage."

She threw him a wry look.

„You know, I am not the walking bruise of the two of us", she told him. „And I´d have to get up soon anyway."

* * *

When it was finally time for him to go, he would have preferred to stay for another while instead of leaving in a hurry after a kind of last minute breakfast. It felt kind of awkward to leave her that early in the morning after the last night. A bit like leaving cover instead of waiting there savely for the back-up.

„You´re gonna call me later ?" she asked at the door, making him turn to her in surprise.

„Let me know how he is ?" she added.

He looked at her for a moment, then finally managed to nod.

„Damn", he said then and pulled her suddenly closer for another kiss.

* * *

Amber´s friend Letty arrived not more than ten minutes after Barney had left, finding Amber sitting on the veranda, a cup of coffee in her hands and wrapped into a warm jacket.

„´ mornin´ !" she mumbled, getting out of her car.

„´ mornin´!" Amber answered in the same casual way.

„And what the hell is wrong with you ?" Letty asked. She could think of better things than having a cup of coffee at the veranda at a cold and foggy morning like this.

„Nothing", Amber answered with a shrug. „Just needed some fresh air."

Letty perked her eyebrows.

„You know", she said,"an SUV drove past me when I drove over here. Came out of your direction."

„Really ?" Amber asked.

„Yeah, really."

Letty tilted her head.

„You wouldn´t know anything about that ?"

„An SUV ?" Amber asked. „Haven´t seen one", she answered then, honestly.

Letty crossed her arms in front of her.

„Yeah. Sure. Keep your damn secrets to yourself then."

Amberly only smiled, intending to do so. Letty just didn´t need to know everything. Amber knew that she could trust the younger woman. If she would have told her about the driver and had asked her to keep it to herself, she would have done so.

Still, it was much more fun not to do that and watch the girl pouting.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks for your reviews - thanks to my beta - thanks for stickin´ around! Short one this time..._

* * *

„Alright, come on."

Barney stepped aside letting Letty pass.

„So these are Gunnar, Yin Yang and Hale Ceasar", he said, calling the guy´s name in the order they had found themselves a seat in the living room. „The crabby guy over there is Christmas. This", he said, pointing at Amber, "is Amberley Davis. And this...", - he pointed at Letty - ,"is Letty."

„My little helper", Amber added, blinking at Letty who made a face.

Gunnar nudged Yang at the other end of the living room.

„See? Everyone´s got one! Only that she´s a damn lot prettier than you are!"

There was a pause.

„I talked to Tool", Barney told them. „He talked to our client and he´ll keep his eyes and ears open. The moment Trench gets back, we´ll know it."

„What´s takin´ him that damn long anyway?" Ceasar asked.

„Good question", Barney mumbled. „But whatever it is, he´ll hate our guts for getting the better of him again. This time, it will _really_ hurt, I suppose."

„What about Toll Road?" Gunnar asked.

Letty threw Amber a puzzled look, mouthing „What?".

„Damn good question", Barney admitted. „Someone any idea if he´s still seeing this librarian of his?"

The men shrugged.

Christmas chuckled.

„Even if we had an idea, how do you know that she wants to take care of him - or that he wants to her to take care of him ?"

Barney frowned.

„Well, he´s not that badly injured. Let´s leave it to him to decide about that", he suggested.

„Well, fine", Ceasar said. „But it leads only to the next question - what about Billy ? Toll Road put him up after his girlfriend threw him out last month."

„What the hell is wrong with him anyway?" Yang asked.

„He already looked like shit the day we left", Gunnar commented.

„If you want my opinion", Amber threw in, causing all heads to turn towards her. „The boy simply has a case of a bad common cold."

„Say, are you a doctor?" Ceasar asked, causing Barney to give him a dark stare.

Amber smiled.

„Well, I have a PhD. But I´m a vet, actually. And I just housed my twelve year old nephew for over a week with the flu to avoid his baby sister catching it. So believe me, I know what it looks like! Besides, I don´t see a reason why he shouldn´t stay here for some days. Wouldn´t be his first stay around anyway."

The surprised silence following made her frown.

"Excuse me", Lee said. „Would you mind explaining that?"

„Yeah, I´d like to hear that as well", Ceasar chimed in, crossing his thickly muscled arms.

„You guys aren´t alone with that", Letty said, throwing Amberly a puzzled side-glance.

„Amber took care of him after he had gotten out of the hospital after the Albanian job", Barney answered the question for her.

„_Albania?_" Lee snarled, addressing Barney. „That was about ten months ago!"

„Eleven, actually", Barney corrected his overcorrect friend drily.

„That was during your rehab", Amberly told Letty.

„I should really quit our friendship!" Lee told Barney.

He left the room, not without shouldering his way past Barney on his way out.

„Where you´re going ?" Barney called over his shoulder.

„Taking care of the weapons and BDUs !" Lee answered crabbily. „Before _the boy_ arrives to have a look at the folly!"

„Good idea", Barney commented good-humoredly. „And the boy´s name is Bobby."

„Yeah, screw you!" Lee barked on his way out. „And that makes Billy fit in quite nicely, doesn´t it ?"

„Need a hand?"

„Don´t bother, conman!"

„So, Amberly, I don´t mean to be rude", Gunnar spoke up. „But I have a question the answer to is of interest to all of us here, I guess."

Barney boded ill while Amber smiled that mischievous smile of hers.

„Go ahead", she said, shrugging.

„Are you involved with this gentleman right next to you?" Gunnar asked, pointing at Barney.

„You want to answer that one for me as well?" Amber addressed Barney.

Amber´s smile broadened when he only waved a hand to tell her to go ahead.

„Think so", she answered lightly.

„Gotcha !" Gunnar told Yang, holding out a large hand. „And thanks for being that honest with me", he told Amber.

Yang handed Gunnar some bills.

„I did know that at least", Letty mumbled.

„Well, whatever", Barney said. „Amber agreed to house us for another forty eight hours if necessary. Anyone got a problem with that ?"

„Since when are you hosting farm vacations ?" Letty asked Amber with a grin.

„How are we supposed to get that plane in the air again?" Ceasar asked. „Or are you planning on leaving it to rot out in that field ?"

„There´s a road close by", Barney answered. „Will do."

„A road?" Christmas asked from the hall. „Are you crazy?"

„Christmas, this is the countryside - people are way more relaxed around here than in town."

„You _are_ crazy."

„What are we supposed to do meanwhile ?" Ceasar asked.

Barney shrugged.

„Taking care of the equipment will have to wait", he decided. „Get some sleep."

„You know", Letty said suddenly, "whatever you people are up to - I need some breakfast! If anyone´s interested - just let me know!"

She turned to Amber.

„You don´t mind, do you ?"

Amber grinned.

„Go ahead!"

* * *

„You bastard told me that you went _fishing_!" Christmas accused Barney.

Christmas had eventually decided to accept Barney´s offer to help him transferring their stuff over to the plane. Now they were busy storing it.

„I _went _fishing!"

„Yeah, just not for perch, huh ?"

„Oh, come on!"

„And she´s the friend you talked into taking care of Billy back then! I don´t believe it! Wouldn´t be surprised if you told her that he´s your lost son!"

„What? I had told her about him and she suggested it! Who..."

„Yeah, cut it, I´ll never again believe a damn word you say! And the Kid, he´s been makin´ common cause with you - that´s a real disappointment!"

„He didn´t know."

„Oh you tell me! One needs to be damn blind not to see what´s going on between you and her! So tell me, what kind of skeletons does she have in her closet to end up with a guy like you ?"

„Damn, get over it!" Barney told him.

„Yeah, eventually!" Christmas snapped. „But until then, you´ll have to answer some questions ! To kind of, well, foster my trust, you know!"

„Well, what do you want to know ?"

„Why she´s with you of all people, for starters! Even you may have noticed that she´s not exactly homely."

„Careful now", Barney cautioned. „And she´s widowed."

„And you comforted her ?"

Barney finally grinned, shaking his head.

„No. She was married to some Australian rodeo rider. She returned here after his death. The guy cheated on her, by the way."

Lee decided to ignore the reference to his own girlfriend.

„How did he die ?"

Barney chuckled.

„Obviously in a house fire."

„What´s so damn funny about that ? No pleasant way to die."

Barney shrugged.

„It was a cathouse."

„You´re not serious", Lee said.

Barney grinned, remembering asking Amber the same when she had told him the story.

„She had been married before. The guy made her end up in hospital for two weeks before she decided to leave him."

Lee grunted, only to find himself being thrown a side-glance by Barney.

„So, you´re not beating her up and probably not cheating on her and that´s it ?"

„God, you´re a pain in the ass, do you know that ?!"

Barney scanned through the plane for any weaponry he might have overseen before.

„What is it with this boy, what´s his name again ?" Lee asked.

„Bobby. He´s the son of her sister. She remarried recently and they also have this baby girl now."

„So he´s not getting along with his new dad ?"

Barney grimaced.

„Well, they usually get along. I guess the guy´s alright, but he´s sometimes a little quick with punishment."

„Do I hear an expert talking ?"

„Well, Bobby´s alright! Just a little hotheaded. A while ago, he was sent home from school for punching another boy right in the face."

„Well, doesn´t exactly speak for his good manners, does ist ?"

„Well, his stepfather made quite a fuzz and locked the boy up in his room. Later that day, some friend of Bobby´s mother came along. She said that she was sorry that he had been sent home, but that she was quite glad at the same time that he had kept that boy from pushing around her daughter any longer. Gave his stepfather a hard time trying to decide if to burst of pride or to die of shame for shouting the boy down before."

„Why hadn´t he told anyone ?"

„Well, obviously nobody allowed him to say anything. And..."

„Tell me something else", Lee interrupted. „How the hell do you know all that ?"

Barney scratched the back of his neck for a moment.

„Well, ´cause Amber gave me a hard time afterwards for showing him how to do a proper right hook."

„Wow, you really have it! She left you alone with the boy for five minutes and you taught him how to knock out people?"

„Boy´s a natural!" Barney defended himself. „What do you want him to do ? Wrestle ? He´ll end up like Toll Road!"

„I take it she knows what we´re doing", Lee returned to their former topic.

„Yeah."

Barney nodded.

„Otherwise it would have been hard to explain to her what kind of accident Billy had had back then, wouldn´t it ?" he added.

„I take it the boy doesn´t", Lee went on.

„You´re right." Barney closed the last storage compartment, looking contentedly around for a moment before he scowled at Lee.

„And I promise to shoot the first of you guys to open his big mouth."

„Honestly this time, Barney, how long has this been going on ?"

Barney grinned and refused an answer while Christmas still couldn´t get used to the thought that Barney of all people had obviously managed to find himself kind of a family on the QT without any of his friends even suspecting a damn thing.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to my Beta!

* * *

**_- flashback - _**

_This scene takes place about a week after chapter two´s flashback, with the gang back from the Albanian job for Church and Billy still at the hospital._

- The lodge. Amber/Barney -

„Can´t you sleep ?"

He looked up to her. She was only scantily dressed but carried a blanket over her arm. He padded the place right next to him on the old wooden bench with his palm and she followed the invitation.

To his surprise, she curled up right next to him instead of simply sitting down. She made herself as comfortable as possible and he put an arm around her, realizing that it felt only natural to do so.

„I´ve been thinking", he said after another while.

„About what ?"

„About you."

She fumbled to manage to cover herself completely with the too small blanket.

„About me ? Or about you and me?"

„´bout the latter, I guess."

„So?" she asked when he didn´t go on.

After a long pause, he sighed.

„See, I have a dangerous job."

„You don´t tell", she whispered. Though he had never really told her the details, she had seen enough scars, bruises and fresh injuries by now to get an idea of how dangerous this job actually was.

He scowled at her in the darkness, only to forgive her her sarcasm the same moment.

„I´m often away for weeks."

She shrugged.

„I´m here."

He made a small sound of frustration, his hand buried in her hair.

„So?" she asked again.

She suddenly brought herself up to a half sitting position. The blanket slipped from her shoulders.

„Say, are you trying to break up with me?"

He held her gaze and she finally perched one eyebrow.

„Would you stop making this so hard for me?" he asked abruptly.

She sat up completely.

„Not if the answer to my question is yes."

„Look, I just don´t want to see you gettin´ hurt."

„Well, don´t do it then!"

„Oh girl!" Barney moved uncomfortably. „Look, what if something happens while I´m abroad?"

„You fear you´ll probably not be around when I´d need you the most ?"

„Yeah, somethin´ like that."

„You know, be there for me when you´re here. That´s good enough for me."

„I simply think you could do better."

„Oh", she drawled. „See, I´m doing fine right now."

Barney got up, agitated.

„Really ? I mean, come on! How long has this been goin´ on?"

„How long?!" he insisted when she didn´t answer.

„About ten months", she mumbled, at least referring to seeing him regularly.

He nodded. „See?"

„See what?"

„What´s my last name?"

She stared at him, slowly getting the hang of what he was talking about. She had no idea.

„You could tell me", she suggested hoarsely, realizing herself how odd that sounded.

Then she broke eye contact with him, her gaze hovering while she fought hard to hold back the tears.

„I mean, is it really what you´re looking for?" he asked, making a gesture that involved the whole thing, the place, the night.

There was a pause. For the first time ever, the silence between them felt uncomfortable.

„You know", she said then, "it probably _is_ what I´ve been looking for."

„You´re serious?" he asked, stunned by her last statement.

She locked eyes with him again.

„Or it has been until last week. You know what both my marriages have been like. I´ve been betrayed, my trust has been betrayed. And it hurt, it hurt badly. I hurt. If you had asked me what I am looking for when we met the first time, I would have told you something completely different, granted! But you know, things are good between us, or it´s at least what I want to believe! We meet, we have a good time. We´ve been keeping things light and easy. And by not knowing much, I pretended to keep a safe distance. One I made myself believe would make it hurt less if it should fail ´cause I never ever wanted to go through shit like that again! But last week, things changed, didn´t they ? And I fear that if this becomes more serious, I´ll simply run."

„And I think that makes two of us", she added.

„If this is not what you´re looking for, I´ll understand", she said then, aware of the fact that she couldn´t force him to want it. „But if I am right...

Barney frowned. If he was honest with himself, he had to admit that he had realized already months ago that she probably was one of those fabled women who left only two options to a man - leaving them or marrying them.

„Are you callin´ me coward?" he asked, crossing his arms as well.

She did the same, imitating his posture, signaling her readiness to defend her position.

„Only if you run."

He frowned.

Then she got up and walked over to him. She covered her attack with a deep kiss.

„What the hell you think you´re doing?" he asked.

She looked up to him, amber colored eyes meeting dark brown ones.

„You didn´t answer my question", she answered. „And in case your answer is yes, I´m going to make you fail."

XXX

Some hours later, she let her shoulder rest against the frame of the lodge´s entrance door, pulling her cardigan tighter around her.

„So you´re gonna stop by again when you´re around ?" she asked.

„Why should I want that ?" he asked sardonically, winking at her. They had agreed that he would call her and by now, Barney was rather sure that he couldn´t have broken up with her even if he had really wanted it.

„Oh..." She shrugged. „I´m a good cook, you know."

He stopped in his tracks, turning to her. Looking at her, he put one hand to his waist.

„Really ?"

The question had been asked challengingly.

She lifted her eyebrows and tilted her head playfully.

„But that´s maybe not what a city slicker like you is looking for", she added.

He slowly returned to her, grinning.

„Why don´t you stop by at my place the next time ?" he asked.

She threw him a questioning look, waiting for him to go on.

„Well, _Mister Ross_, why the hell should I want that?" she asked.

„Maybe I am going to take the country lass out in the big city", he suggested.

He forced her into a breathtaking kiss.

„And I´m a good kisser, you know", he told her.

* * *

_- The last thing can be learned by watching Demolition Man again -_

_Please review._


	5. Chapter 5

_Thaaaanks to my beta...over and over again :-)_

* * *

_**- flashback -**_

Barney Ross woke with a start, hot pain spreading immediately through his arm and head. Fighting reflexes kicked in before he had even opened his eyes.

His attacker backed off, knocking something over in the process, hands raised in a calming gesture.

„Hey, take it easy!"

Barney´s pulse raced, his head pounded. He felt immediately dizzy, but still made it to his feet.

He looked around, the adrenaline rush making him want to jump up and fight.

„Relax, okay?!"

He glanced at the woman still standing only a few feet away from him. He was somehow sure that it had been her touch making him regain consciousness, but she admittedly didn´t look very dangerous.

The dizziness grew. He sagged back down to the cot.

„Where am I?" he asked, realizing how hoarse his voice sounded.

„At a lodge close to the Chekaweea´s peak", she answered, still not moving.

„Shit", he mumbled, carefully stretching the muscles of his neck and shoulders. His head felt like exploding.

„You should lie back down", the woman suggested. „Your car doubled over ´cause of a rock-fall. You may have a concussion."

„How the hell did we get here?" he asked, trying to sort out if he could remember anything of what she had just told him. He glanced around, every turn of his head making the nausea grow again. They seemed to be alone. And the slender figure still standing right next to him wouldn´t have managed to even get him out of the car not to speak of taking him more than some feet away from it.

„You were still conscious and already out of the car when I got there. I had heard the car and then the rocks fallin´ a moment later so I went there to check."

„I made it here by myself ?"

He felt his pulse slowing down a little by now, but the paranoia coming with his job was not to be brought down that easily.

She nodded.

„The place is about three minutes away from here. You actually passed out on the door sill."

Barney felt suddenly sick. With no obvious threat in sight, he lay finally back.

XXX

It took him a minute to fight down the nausea.

The lodge looked rather shabby. The woman with him had obviously decided to grant him some space and busied herself with some kind of saddle bag over at a small table. The wind was howling around the house. It seemed to be raining heavily. Through the window he noticed the fading light.

„How long I´ve been out ?" he asked.

She returned to him and picked up his watch from the floor right next to the cot.

„About an hour", she said with a look at it.

„Little early for nightfall then", he mumbled.

„We have a bad thunderstorm out there", she told him. „We´ve been lucky to make it here before it really started."

Barney slid one hand over his burning left forearm and realized the reason for the stinging pain there belatedly. He glanced at the five neat stitches along a nasty gash there.

„You did that ?" he asked.

She turned her head, then nodded.

„Yeah."

„You´re a doctor ?"

„I´ve got an PhD", she answered lightly.

She returned to him and handed him a hip flask.

„Just not in human medicine", she added.

„But?" she asked.

This time, she chuckled.

„Veterinary medicine", she replied with a weak smile. „I specialize in treating horses."

„Horses, huh?" Barney mumbled.

„Look at the bright side", she told him. „It could have been cattle."

He took a sip of water out of the flask she handed him, suddenly realizing how thirsty he was.

„So where´s the good thing in that?" he asked after a moment.

She gave him a bright smile. „Horses are a clientele hard to please. They require a rather gentle treatment."

He only made an undeterminable throaty sound she interpreted as his version of a chuckle.

„Take it easy", she advised him then. „I guess we´ll be stuck here for a while."

XXX

A while later, the sound of the door woke him. His company had obviously just returned from outside, getting out of the leather jacket she had been wearing.

„Weather´s still getting worse out there", she mumbled, noticing that he was awake. Night had fallen by now.

„How are you ?" she asked, slipping out of her boots.

Barney didn´t feel much better than before. His head gave him hell and his right shoulder felt contused, the arm and hand slightly numb.

„Been better", he mumbled sluggishly.

He watched her fumbling with an old-fashioned coffee pot to heat some water. The lodge was equipped with a small but nevertheless effective stove she had obviously got going at some point. He watched the slender figure move in the dim light of two equally old-fashioned lanterns. She was in dark jeans and an outworn looking sweater and moved with some kind of a quiet determination.

„Want some tea?" she asked a few minutes later.

Barney managed again to sit up, but sat back with a groan. The pain pulsing behind his eyes had annoyed him by now.

„Why not", he managed to answer.

„Jeez, you look bad", she said.

Barney accepted the tin cup she was handing him, only to set it down again, moving his hurting shoulder carefully.

„The side you crashed down on?" she asked. „Want me to have a look at it?"

Barney suppressed a groan. Then he tried to relax and let his back rest against the wall behind him.

„You know, don´t get me wrong", he mumbled, feeling that he was losing patience.

The woman in front of him raised her eyebrows, throwing him a curious look.

„But who the hell are you?" he asked.

XXX

„So, Amberly", Barney said. „What you´ve been doing out here ?"

„Well, I´ve been for a ride." Amber put a strand of hair behind her ear. „ I live close by. And usually, it´s just Amber."

„When you say for a ride..."

She smiled.

„Yeah, I mean on a horse then", she answered with a smile, pointing at something behind the wall Barney rested against. „Haven´t you heard her? Sparks likes the weather just as much as we do."

She laughed at the sight of him frowning.

„Yeah, and I was all on my own", she said relaxedly before he could actually ask the question.

„And you had no objections to take a complete stranger over here and stay with him in the middle of nowhere for the night ?"

Now she looked perplexed.

„You could have died in this accident", she answered indignantly. „I just wanted to help. Where I come from, that´s called common decency."

Then she narrowed her eyes, picturing his reaction after regaining consciousness again.

„Mind if I ask what you do for a living?"

„Actually, yeah."

Amber frowned at his brusque answer, but didn´t press the matter.

„You know, I spent ten years in the Australian outback", she said after a moment. „I think I can handle a ride on my own. But you´re probably right - you never know what you´re gonna be faced with."

Barney held her gaze.

„Didn´t mean to make you feel uncomfortable", he said after a moment.

She mustered him, taking her time to eye him up.

„Well, you just did a damn good job nevertheless", she told him then.

XXX

„So what about the car?" he asked, watching her rummaging through her saddle bags „Did it look bad ?"

„A total loss, I guess", she answered. „Looks like you´ve been damn lucky."

„Great", he mumbled. Tool would not be very happy to hear that.

„Was it new ?" she asked.

Finally, her fingers found what she had been looking for.

„No. But it´s a friend´s."

Amber grimaced.

„Hope he´s a good one", she commented.

„You don´t happen to have a cell with you, do you?"

She shook her head, then realized that he seemed to be looking for something.

„What you´re looking for?"

„Mine", he answered. „But I guess I had left it somewhere in the car."

„Wouldn´t work anyway. At my place, yes. But out here?"

Barney frowned, not telling her that he used a sat phone that usually worked almost everywhere. But with the storm and darkness outside and his head hurting the way it did, he was not up to march out to whatever was possibly left of the car.

„You know, if you´re shoulder is contused...", she said then, turning an unlabeled small pot in her fingers.

„What´s that?"

„Arnica ointment."

He frowned.

„I take it you usually use that on your patients?"

„It _is_ a classic in both human and veterinarian medicine", she insisted, not able to suppress a grin. „I filled this up just today and I used it myself before", she added with a shrug.„Served its purpose."

„Well, damn, why not", he mumbled after a moment. There he was on what had been supposed to become a nice and quiet fishing trip, in the middle of nowhere with the car smashed and he himself hurting once again and the world coming down outside in addition.

So much for going fishing for a change of scenery.

„Want me to warm you some water ? To get rid of the dust and dirt ?"

He nodded again after another moment. He didn´t care much about getting dirty and mused that she, regarding her usual clientele, surely didn´t either. Still, it was the same with some hot water to wash off the dirt as with the first decent warm meal at home after a long and frustrating mission. It was a small thing with great comforting effect.

XXX

„Want me to help you ?" she asked a short while later, watching him getting out of his shirt and trying to get out of his t-shirt without causing too much pain.

She had just put the pot with the hot water down at the sink and walked over to give him a hand.

She did her best to keep a straight face the moment he finally managed to pull the shirt over his head. It had become obvious before that he was fit on their way from the car over to the lodge. She had realized that there were some muscles beneath his clothes while trying to support him on their way to the lodge. Still, she hadn´t been prepared for the sight of his heavily tattood torso. She wondered not for the first time that day what kind of guy she had stumbled into accidentally that afternoon.

She backed down then.

„I´ll get us some more logs", she mumbled, getting ready to leave the shelter of the lodge again. „There´s a small supply outside."

„Sure that you don´t want to leave that to me ?" he asked despite noticing that she was obviously up to grant him some privacy to wash up. The lodge offered no bathroom.

„Sure", she said with a smile. „I´ll manage."

XXX

Amber rubbed her hands to get them a little bit warmer.

„Let´s see", she mumbled. „Where does it hurt?"

She had sat down on the cot right next to him, trying to make out any details in the dim light of the lantern.

He twitched the moment she touched him and made her jump as well.

„Alright, there, I guess", she said with a small sigh. The tattoos made it impossible to see if there was some kind of bruise building.

„Must have been a painful thing to get those", she commented, referring to the tattoos.

„Well, they haven´t been done all at once."

„What happened to your hand ?" she asked, pointing at the leather splint he was wearing.

„An old battlefield injury."

She reached past him for the pot containing the ointment. He tilted his head.

„What happened to yours?" he asked back, referring to the long scar along her wrist.

„The same", she answered.

Barney craned his neck to throw her a surprised look.

„You´ve been to war?" he asked, obviously doubting it.

Amber laughed quietly, a warm and relaxed sound.

„I´ve been married. Does that count ?"

„Not sure", he mumbled.

She shrugged, giving a small sound of amusement.

„Well, there´s no medal of honor if you survive", she said, matter of factly.

„Done", she added then, wiping her hands unceremoniously on her jeans.

„Thanks."

„You´re welcome."

They both seemed kind of relieved to have gotten that over with.

„We only have hard tack for dinner, I´m afraid", she informed him.

„Well, that´s better than nothin´, isn´t it ?"

She nodded silent agreement.

„We should probably try to get some sleep", she suggested, handing him some. „Sparks won´t take me anywhere as long as the weather doesn´t change and it´s an one hour march by foot even in daylight over to my place. So we´re stuck here for tonight. If things look better tomorrow morning, I´ll go home and get help."

„I´ll have a look at the car then", he mused. „Have to see what it takes to get it out of that ditch."

Amber waved a hand.

„Don´t worry."

He threw her an amused and at the same time questioning look.

„You own a tow truck?" he asked drily.

She smiled.

„This is the countryside, city slicker! People know each other, people help each other. It´s not the first car we have to get out of a ditch."

„Take the cot", he offered. It was the only sleeping accommodation the lodge was equipped with.

She shook her head.

„I´ll take the armchair. It´s alright."

XXX

Later that night, when he returned from outside, he crossed the room to put another log on the fire.

Amber had fallen asleep in the large armchair, curled up in a rather uncomfortable looking position. The delicate long fingers of the years ago injured hand rested close to her face on the threadbare blanket which had slipped half down to the floor by now. He reached out to pull it over her again.

Doing so, his gaze fell on the saddlebags resting right next to her chair on the floor. Something he could only see partly but what looked very familiar peeked out of one of them. He lifted the bag´s lid a little, only to found his suspicion confirmed. He let the lid sink back in place, only to find in surprise that his discovery left him somewhat contented. He couldn´t approve of her falling asleep with a stranger like him around in a godforsaken place like this. It indicated some kind of naive belief in the good of mankind he had given up on long ago. But the fact that she actually did carry a weapon with her while roaming the solitude out there made him think that she had some common sense in the end. He suddenly found himself wondering if it had also been the ten years in the Australian outback or rather the obviously violent ex husband who had made her learn how to use a gun.

It came as another surprise for him to find that she was definitely not the kind of person he would like to see being hurt.

* * *

_Someone write me a damn review ;-)_


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